Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

August is the month dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament 

Readings for the Rule of Saint Benedict for the Week: Ch 58 The Procedure for Receiving Brothers - Ch 62 The Priests of the Monastery

Glorify the Lord with me.

SACRED HOST, IN WHICH WE PARTAKE OF CHRIST,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

MARY, QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH,

MARY, GATE OF HEAVEN,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love.

(Ephesians 5:2)

Welcome to the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time in the month of August dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament, fitting as we are in this Year of Mission spreading the Good News of Eucharistic love after the great Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. And this week is a doozy as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Glorious things are spoken of you, O Mary, who today were exalted above the choirs of Angels into eternal triumph with Christ. 

With the Blessed Mother leading the way, followed by the illustrious saints commemorated this week, how about we make it a week of no more murmuring. It is time to listen to Jesus and stop murmuring among ourselves (see John 6:43). Do not, as Saint Paul tells us, grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ (Ephesians 30-31). It's a tall task for the week; however, united in faith, love, and prayer, we can do it. What is one way you will go about this task, reaching out to someone who you would prefer just to ignore? Believe, dear faithful readers, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life, Jesus tells us, the living bread that came down from heaven, and whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world (See John 6:47-51). Get up, then, with Elijah, eat and drink and be strengthened for the journey to God (see 1 Kings 19:8). I believe, help my unbelief. 

And now our voices for the week, with a starter from our holy father Saint Benedict who tells us that the concern for anyone entering a monastery is whether the novice truly seeks God. We ask ourselves, then, do I truly seek God, day in and day out, no matter the hardships and difficulties that come my way, those things that will lead us to God? (Rule of Saint Benedict, Ch. 58).

Do not receive Christ in the Blessed Sacrament so that you may use Him as you judge best, but give yourself to Him and let Him receive you in this Sacrament, so the He Himself, God your savior, may do to you and through you whatever He wills.

(Saint Cajetan, Priest, 1480-1547)

There is no place for selfishness—and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice. 

(Pope Saint John Paul II, 1920-2005)

Neither science nor speculation has made, or will ever make, a saint. Better to be an idiot capable of love, because in love he will sanctify himself.

(Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini "Mother Cabrini", 1850-1917)

I would become weak and languid and risk losing myself if I were to occupy myself only with exterior things, however good and holy those may be; or if I were to be without the sleep of prayer ... in the heart of my beloved Jesus. Give me, O Jesus, an abundance of mystical sleep.

(Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini "Mother Cabrini", 1850-1917, from her resolutions-the Prositi)

A heart filled with joy is more easily made perfect than one that is sad.

(Saint Philip Neri, 1515-1595)

Beg Jesus to speak incessantly to your soul. I assure you that His voice will teach you more in a single day than can the schools of learned men in many years ... I assure you that if you begin to be faithful to His voice, little by little you won't be able to withdraw from Him at all.

(Blessed Clelia Merloni, 1861-1930)

I no longer have any time for regular prayer, but from the first moment of the day, I endeavor to unite myself to Jesus Christ, and then I do whatever needs to be done with this union in mind.

(Saint John Vianney, 1786-1859, when asked for advice on mental prayer)

SAINT CLARE,

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI,

BLESSED ISIDORE BAKANJA,

SAINT MUREDACH,

SAINT ATTRACTA,

SAINT LELIA,

SAINT BLAAN,

SAINT FACHTNA,

BLESSED WILLIAM FREEMAN,

SAINT MAXIMUS,

SAINT ROCK,

BLESSED IMELDA LAMBERTINI,

BLESSED MARIA SAGRARIO OF SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA,

BLESSED ANGELUS MAZZINGHI,

SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL,

POPE SAINT PONTIAN,

SAINT HIPPOLYTUS,

SAINT MAXIMILLAN KOLBE,

SAINT STEPHEN OF HUNGARY,

SAINT HYACINTH,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: Look to Him that you may be radiant with joy.

© Gertrude Feick 2024

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 61:1-5 The Reception of Visiting Monks

Mass: Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab; Resp Ps 45; 1 Cor 15:20-27; Lk 1:39-56

The Queen stands in her place.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

MARY, QUEEN ASSUMED INTO HEAVEN,

MARY, QUEEN OF ANGELS,

MARY, QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH,

HEART OF MARY, THRONE OF GLORY,

PRAY FOR US.

The Immaculate Virgin Mary, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.

(Pope Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus Most Bountiful God, November 1, 1950)

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

(Rev 12:1)

Foremost on this special Monday, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, congratulations and best wishes to all Cistercians on the patronal feast of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. All Cistercian monasteries are dedicated to Mary, Mother of God. God is praised. Our Lady of the Redwoods, Our Lady of Nazareth, Our Lady of Klaarland, pray for us.

With two texts to share then, the first a meditation from Amadeus of Lausanne, the second, a prayer from Pope Saint John XXIII.

Let us gaze

upon her glory

and, entering into the depth of so great a light,

with swelling heart and unspeakable joy

let us hasten

through the vivid brightness of the paths,

saying with Solomon,

Her paths are lovely

and all her ways are peaceful.

First of all,

she was deemed worthy

to be adorned

with the beauty of all the virtues.

Secondly,

she was united to the Holy Spirit

in a bond of wedlock.

Thirdly,

she was found the Mother of the Savior.

Fourthly,

a sword pierced her soul

and by the flesh taken of her flesh

the ruin of the lost world

is restored.

Fifthly,

she rejoices in her Son

arising and ascending 

above the heaven of heavens

to the right hand of the Father.

Sixthly,

she is caught up from this world

and as the Lord hastens to meet her

she is placed above the denizens of heaven.

Seventhly,

she will be completed

when the fulness of the Gentiles shall have entered

and all Israel shall be saved.

For beyond what is appropriately said or believed,

she rejoices

in the general salvation of the elect,

knowing that it was for them

that the Son of God

took flesh from her.

Then, therefore,

will she be fulfilled,

God providing a better thing,

lest without us

she should not be made perfect.

(Amadeus of Lausanne, Cistercian Abbot, c. 1110-1159, in Mary, Most Holy: Meditating with the Early Cistercians)

To Our Lady, the Gate of Heaven

Immaculate Virgin,

radiant image of purity and grace,

whose appearance scatters the shades of overhanging night

and restores to us the splendors of heaven,

look graciously down upon your children

and all who love you and gather around you.

Star of Dawn, prepare us to welcome the Sun of Justice,

whom you brought into the world.

Gate of Heaven, teach our hearts to desire the things of heaven.

Mirror of Justice, preserve in us

the love of divine grace so that,

living humbly and happily

in obedience to our Christian calling,

we may always enjoy the Lord's friendship

and your motherly consolations.

Amen.

(Pope Saint John XXIII, 1881-1963)

Hail, Mary, full of grace.

Today's photo: Mary, Queen of Angels, by Sister Protasia Schindler, OSB. Used with kind permission of the Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel, OR. So shall the king desire your beauty; for He is your Lord.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Patronal Feast of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance

Year of Saint Joseph

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

National Back to School Month

Readings of the Day

RB: Ch 61:1-5 The Reception of Visiting Monks

Mass: Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab; Resp Ps 45; 1 Cor 15:20-27; Lk 1:39-56

MARY, MOTHER OF CITEAUX,

PRAY FOR US.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

(Lk 1:46-47)

It is on days like this, the glorious Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Patronal Feast of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, that I turn to our Catechism of the Catholic Church. We find this in paragraph 966, a magnificent text:

Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians:

In giving birth, you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.

And this from Pope Benedict XVI:

Mary is blessed because-totally, in body and soul and forever-she became the Lord's dwelling place. If this is true, Mary does not merely invite our admiration and veneration, but she guides us, shows us the way of life, shows us how we can become blessed, how to find the path of happiness.

(Pope Benedict XVI, Solemnity of the Assumption, homily, August 15, 2006)

With Mary as our guide then, why not pray with the Litany of Mary today. Holy Mother of God, pray for us.

MARY, ASSUMED INTO HEAVEN,

MARY, GATE OF HEAVEN,

MARY, QUEEN OF HEAVEN,

JOSEPH, PROTECTOR OF THE HOLY CHURCH,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: From the website of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, www.ocso.org. All Cistercian monasteries are dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. 

© Gertrude Feick 2021

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Readings of the Day
RB: Ch 61:1-5 The Reception of Visiting Monks
Mass: Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab; Resp Ps 45; 1 Cor 15:20-27; Lk 1:39-56

Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Patronal Feast of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance

Readings of the Day
RB: Ch RB 61:1-5 The Reception of Visiting Monks
Vigil Mass: 1 Chron 15:34, 15-16; 16:1-2; Resp Ps 132; 1 Cor 15:54b-57; Lk 11:27-28
Mass: Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab; Resp Ps 45; 1 Cor 15:20-27; Lk 1:39-56

The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir.

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Readings of the Day
RB: Ch 61:1-5 Monastic Pilgrims from Far Away
Mass: Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab; Resp Ps 45; 1 Co 15:20-27; Lk 1:39-56

Our Lady of the Redwoods